Oedipus A Tragedy |
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 | Oedipus |  |
SCENE IV.
ŒDIPUS, JOCASTA, HIGH PRIEST, ARASPES, PHILOCTETES, EGINA, ATTENDANTS, CHORUS.OEDIPUS.
Doth heaven at length, moved by our humble prayers,
Relax its vengeance? Say, whose murtherous hand
Hath thus provoked its anger?
PHILOCTETES.
Say, whose blood
Doth it command ill-destined Thebes to shed?
HIGH PRIEST.
Pernicious gift of heaven! Unhappy knowledge!
To th'ever-restless prying mind of man
Pregnant with danger! Ye relentless fates,
Who now stand open to my view! Oh, cast
Henceforth a veil eternal o'er my sight!
PHILOCTETES.
What dire event com'st thou prepar'd t'unfold?
OEDIPUS.
Art thou the stern prophetic minister
Of inextinguishable hate?
PHILOCTETES.
Disclose
Thy thoughts with fearless mind.
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Do the just gods
Demand my death?
HIGH PRIEST.
Oh! if thy confidence
On me reposes, ask me not a word.
OEDIPUS.
Whate'er of terror prompts the voice of Heaven,
Upon its answer hangs the fate of Thebes.
PHILOCTETES.
Speak.
OEDIPUS.
Look with pity on this wretched race!
Oh! think that OEdipus—
HIGH PRIEST.
Alas! he merits
Superior pity.
FIRST PERSON OF THE CHORUS.
With paternal zeal
He loves his people; to his voice we join
Our ceaseless prayers. Thou whom high heaven inspires,
Hear, hear our cries!
SECOND PERSON.
We sink; we perish all—
Oh, save us! turn its fury from our heads!
The murtherer name—the monster—the perfidious—
FIRST PERSON.
Our eager hands shall in his guilty blood
The criminal imbrue.
HIGH PRIEST.
Unhappy men!
What do you seek from me?
FIRST PERSON.
Speak but the word,
He dies, and we are saved.
HIGH PRIEST.
When I remove
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Your souls to hear the murtherer only named.
The god who at this awful period prompts
My tongue to speak, commands that banishment
Be the sole penalty exacted from him.
But soon to desperate deeds of frenzy urged,
His own avenging hand shall join to aid
The wrath severe of heaven. While terror-struck,
Your eyes his horrid punishment shall view,
And your afflicted hearts confess that life
Was purchased at too dear a price.
OEDIPUS.
Submit.
PHILOCTETES.
Declare.
OEDIPUS.
Why thus inflexible?
HIGH PRIEST.
Compell'd by thee I speak.
OEDIPUS.
Why thus inflame
My anger by delay?
HIGH PRIEST.
Thou wilt then know
The whole—Alas! it is—
OEDIPUS.
Who is it?
HIGH PRIEST.
Thou.
OEDIPUS.
I!—
HIGH PRIEST.
Thou; unhappy prince.
SECOND PERSON OF THE CHORUS.
Alas! what sounds
Struck my astonish'd ear!
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What hast thou dared
To utter, sage interpreter of heaven!—
Hah! thou, the murtherer of my husband! Thou,
[To OEdipus.
To whom his crown, to whom myself I yielded!
No, OEdipus, the gods, the oracle,
Sport with our weak credulity. Thy virtues
On their accusing voice retort the falsehood.
FIRST PERSON OF THE CHORUS.
Ye powers, who o'er the fate of man preside,
Name, name another! or again bring back
Averted death!
PHILOCTETES.
Think not I bear a soul
Which injury for injury returns.
Or from this marvelous and sudden change
Of fortune, which my wond'ring eyes behold,
That I shall basely triumph o'er affliction.
Spite of this voice of heaven, I think thee guiltless.
That justice thou and partial Thebes denied
To me, receive; that justice is thy due.
Against thy foes accept my shielding arm.
Between a pontiff and a prince, no need
Of hesitation. Whosoe'er he be,
Whatever god his voice inspires, a priest
Should always pray for, and not curse his king.
OEDIPUS.
Excess of virtue!—Vile impiety!
From which my soul shrinks back with horror!—Here
A demi-god addresses me, and there
A fraudful priest.
[To the High Priest.
Behold the privilege
Of altars! Thanks to their benignant power
Protecting guilt, thy sacrilegious tongue
Hath not refused the commerce of the gods,
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And fix a crime detested on thy prince.
And dost thou think that my awaken'd wrath
Shall longer venerate the sacred office
Thy hands defile? No, traitor, thou shalt die,
Die at the altar, and before thy gods;
The gods thy crafty voice hath taught to speak.
HIGH PRIEST.
My life is in thy power; its master thou.
Make then the utmost of the present time,
While thou canst call that power thy own. To-day
Thy doom will be pronounced. Unhappy king!
Tremble, thy reign is past. A hand unseen
Over thy head suspends the threatening sword
Sharpen'd by vengeance. Soon thy soul appall'd
Shall view its crimes with horror. Thou shalt fly
Far from the throne thy youthful valour gain'd,
And gloriously ascended. Soon deprived
Of wholesome water, and of sacred fire,
Thy loud laments shall fill the desart caves.
Where'er thou tread'st, with an avenging scourge
Some god shall mark thee still. To end thy pangs
Oft shalt thou invocate the stroke of Death,
But Death shall not attend thy call. While heaven,
That heaven, which views such complicated scenes
Of sad distress, shall to thy eyes expand
One dreary waste of darkness horrible.
Spite of thyself, to crimes thou wert fore-doom'd,
Fore-doom'd to punishment; and thou shalt think
Transcendent happiness had been thy lot,
If thou hadst ne'er been born.
OEDIPUS.
Thus far I have restrain'd my glowing rage,
That I might hear thee, priest. If I could stoop
Such worthless blood to spill; at least with pleasure
I should behold thy justly-purchased death
Precede th'accomplish'd prophecy. But hence!
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Thy presence animates to fury. Hence,
Vile author of detested forgeries!
HIGH PRIEST.
Thou scorn'st me as a traitor and impostor;
Alas! thy father thought me more sincere.
OEDIPUS.
Return! What dost thou say? Who? Polybus?
My father?
HIGH PRIEST.
Ah! too soon thy evil fate
Shall stand reveal'd; this day will give thee birth,
And give thee death; thy sum of destiny
Is now fulfill'd, and thou shalt know thyself.
Unhappy! Art thou conscious from what blood
Thy being is derived? With crimes encompass'd
Peculiarly thy own, dost thou e'en know
With whom thou livest? Oh, Corinth! Phocis! Dire
And execrable nuptials! Lo! a race
Impious, yet most unfortunate, is born;
Worthy their parent line, whose desperate deeds
Shall fill th'astonish'd universe with horror.
Let us away.
| Oedipus | |